


Like This

by orphan_account



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Boys paint their nails, First Kisses, Fluff, M/M, Super super soft boys, painting nails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 13:52:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15842625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Louis watches curiously as Marlon waved his hand in front of his barely parted lips and began blowing softly on his nails....Boys paint their nails and are okay with it.





	Like This

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaah I actually had so much fun writing this!!!   
> I'm super soft for this ship (who am i kidding im soft for all the final season ships so far)   
> I hope you enjoy!!

It was such a dumb thing to focus on, he had just let Brody paint his nails. She was having a bad day and he wanted to cheer her up. So why was he so caught up on it? Because your Dad would kill you if he was alive to see this, he thought frustratedly.

It was the end of the world, no one even had time to care that his nails were painted. He didn't even paint them because he wanted to, his friend did it because she insisted and he couldn't say no. So why was he leaning against a desk, staring at his dark blue nails and observing the way the glossy coat made them shine?

"Wait I thought it was done?" he had asked, confused, as Brody shook another bottle of the stuff.

"The base is, this is the clear top coat. It protects it from getting chipped and makes it stay longer," she explains, "Keep doing the thing I showed you," she insists.

She repeats the movement to show him again, swaying her hand in front of her face and delicately blowing on the still drying polish. His eyebrows furrow at the feminine hand movement, but he does it anyway, blowing softly against his own nails. After all her eyes are still puffy from crying, and his art aches at the thought of ruining her fun over something as simple as nail polish.

Maybe he should have said, 'Save it for yourself, I don't need mine to stay on,'. But he didn't. Instead, he let her add the top layer, admiring how shiny they were now. He had even smiled to himself, happy that they had this spare moment to themselves. Happy that she had really cheered up because of this. Happy that maybe someone would even think his nails were pretty.

He had just fed Rosie and she was taking a nap in the corner of the room, so he took the moment to absentmindedly look at his nails. It had been a day since Brody painted them and they still hadn't chipped. As he heard a knock at the door and a familiar 'Marlon?' he barely had time to shove his hands into his pockets and pretend he was doing something else.

"Marlon dude? I've been looking for you," said Louis, his expression brightening.

He set a bloodied 'Chairles' against the wall before sauntering over to his friend. Marlon was still trying to figure out why he felt so self-conscious right now, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

Louis grinned, but it faded as he sensed Marlon's demeanor, "You all good man?"

"Uh, yeah, just worried about Brody since she's having a tough time," he said, the lie coming easily.

Louis sighed, looking downcast, "Man, I wish we could do more for her, she gets worked up so easily,"

Marlon nodded in agreement, getting lost in thought for a moment. Both their heads snapped up at the sound of Rosie scratching on the door. That was her way of saying she wanted to go outside. Louis seemed to brighten instantly, already walking over to help her.

"Bet you missed me Rosie!" he beamed, scratching behind her ear before letting her out.

The distraction had been enough for Marlon to let down his guard, his hands leaving his pockets as he crossed his arms. It was too late for him to realize what he'd done, Louis had already noticed the unfamiliar splash of blue. After all, the colour was quite unnatural compared to the desaturated grime and darkness of the apocalypse's dismal colour palette. It was only to be expected that it would stand out and catch Louis' observant gaze.

"Woah," he said, grabbing Marlon's hand to get a better look, "Nice nails,"

Why was there a heat growing on his face? Was he really that ashamed?

"Uh, yeah, Brody did them," he explained abashedly.

Louis hummed, smiling, "Pretty," he commented, turning them carefully.

Marlon was suddenly painstakingly aware of the fact that he was still holding his hand, and of how close Louis was. He prayed his face wasn't fucking glowing, it felt like it just might be.

Louis observed his expression, searching for something. He knew Marlon so well it only ever took a few moments for him to figure out what the other boy was thinking. This had always been a perk of their close friendship, but right now he resented how easy he was for Louis to read. 

"You don't have to be ashamed of wearing nail polish man, it's totally cool with me," eased Louis, his concern apparent.

Marlon avoided his gaze, "Nail polish is for girls, I'm just not taking it off because Brody wanted me to keep it for a while," he said, hating how defensive he was clearly being.

Louis paused to think before replying slowly, "I actually think it's really cool, I'm not just saying that," 

Marlon wished he would just let go of his hand already, and stop staring at him so intently for that matter. Even though he had the power to just snatch his hand away and leave, he didn't.

When Marlon didn't reply, Louis smiled warmly and spoke up, "She got some more of that stuff by any chance?"

Marlon was taken aback for a moment, he scratched the back of his head with his free hand thoughtfully.

"I guess we could ask if you want," he replied.

Louis nodded, grinning.

\---

"We should have asked Brody for help, this isn't as easy as it looks," sighs Louis frustratedly.

His hands are wobbling, struggling to paint a single one without messing up.

Marlon squints at the mess, "Let me try," he suggests.

Louis shrugs, handing the nail polish and his half-painted hand over. Marlon sets to work, taking it slow to keep it as neat as possible.

Louis eyes him, seeming impressed, "Woah, your hands are way steadier than mine," he notes.

Marlon tugs his tan, calloused fingers closer, "Keep still I don't wanna mess up," he urges.

Louis can't help but grin at how intent and focused Marlon becomes, but he holds himself back from teasing. Marlon seemed really insecure about the fact he was wearing nail polish, and Louis knew he would never admit to that being the case. Instead, he had to indirectly let him know he didn't have to be ashamed in a different kind of way. Heaven forbid they actually openly talk about their feelings for once. 

He hadn't predicted this would lead to his friend pulling him closer and practically holding his hand as he painted his nails. Why was this so oddly intimate? Whatever, Louis dismissed, it was nice to just relax with Marlon like this. They didn't often get the chance, not that this is how he would have expected his night to go.

Before long, Marlon was finished. Louis admired his work, amused by how much better he was at this. 

"Now, you've gotta dry them. Like this," he said, and Louis watches curiously as Marlon waved his hand in front of his barely parted lips and began blowing softly on his nails.

He sat stunned for a moment before he realized he was showing him what to do. He copied the way he did it, refusing to break their eye contact as he gently dried the now dark blue nails.

"Just like that," Marlon stated matter-of-factly, "Tell me when they're dry, and then I'll put the top coat on. It's like the protective layer that stops it from chipping and makes it last longer. Oh, and it makes it nice and shiny too, it's really cool," he rambled as he screwed on the top of the blue nail polish and set it aside.

Louis continued to blow on his nails as a grin spread across his lips. Okay, that was really cute. Maybe that was a strange way to think about his best friend but he didn't care enough to dismiss the thoughts as they entered his mind. He noticed the way Marlon looked away, refusing to look at Louis as a soft pink dusted his cheeks. Fuck it, that was the cutest thing he'd ever seen, he could feel a blush reaching his own cheeks as he laughed.

"I think they're all dry now," noted Louis, tapping one to make sure.

He took a moment to admire both his hands as Marlon unscrewed the clear nail polish. He then held them out in front of him proudly, waiting for Marlon to do his magic. The blonde boy shook his head, smirking, taking Louis' left hand in his own. Louis shuffled closer as Marlon set to work, a grin plastered on both of their faces. 

This time instead of watching him paint them he stared at Marlon's focused facial features. He observed the freckles and details you could see from afar, and the ones you had to be up close to notice. His cheeks seemed to be getting redder, his ears as well. Gosh, that was really cute. It was so endearing the way he busied himself with painting the nails top coat, the way he would look away when he became nervous. 

Marlon let out a nervous breath he didn't realize he had been holding and hesitantly looked up, meeting Louis' amused gaze. Their faces were just so close. The gap between could be so easily closed if he wanted to, but he was frozen in place. He had stopped painting as he got caught up in the moment, caught up in Louis' stare.

Louis reached his free hand, swiping his thumb over Marlon's cheek, testing the waters. His skin was smooth and warm to the touch. He wanted to catch every reaction he drew out of Marlon, wanted to see how he felt about this before he went too far. This was uncharted territory for both of them after all. Louis hummed contently, and leaned forward, bumping their noses together experimentally.

He leaned back again, his eyes darting between Marlon's eyes and his lips. His whole body felt impossibly warm as he planted a short kiss on his lips. Marlon went with him when he pulled back, not wanting them to break apart. Louis huffed a short laugh at this, his warm breath washing over Marlon as he grinned. 

Louis wrapped his arms around Marlon's neck lazily, his eyes half-lidded, "Kiss me then," he said, barely above a whisper.

Marlon wasted no more time doing as he said, their lips meeting for the second time, slotting together warmly, perfectly. Louis leaned back onto the floor, dragging Marlon with him of course. It was odd at first, their lips moving against each other and eventually falling into a pattern they both deemed suitable. They were both grinning into the kiss, making each other laugh and hum happily. Marlon's hands found their place on Louis' sides, which Louis was more than pleased with.

With a surge of confidence, Louis swiped his tongue over Marlon's lower lip, and then bit down on it gently. Marlon had moaned ever so slightly, it was unmistakable. Louis knew that whatever he did he had to make that happen again and again. He rolled them over so that he was on top, their lips parting so that Louis could straddle Marlon's hips and look down at him smugly. Marlon was lost for words, especially as Louis' hands pressed down on his chest, his nails bright in comparison to his bland t-shirt. He had just been about to move down and reconnect their lips, but Marlon stopped him.

"Ugh, I think I rolled onto something," he explained, reaching under his back.

Sure enough, the blue bottle of nail polish was what had been digging into his back. Louis couldn't stop himself from bursting into a fit of laughter. Marlon joined him, covering his blushing face with his arm as he laughed. When silence fell over them, Louis grinned down at him warmly.

"What?" asked Marlon, the blush on his cheeks only seeming to grow.

"This is just really fucking nice," Louis sighed.

Marlon smiled, and Louis grabbed his hand, kissing it softly.

They did in fact match, the dark blue nail polish glimmering as it caught the light. Marlon found himself hoping that the top coat did as it promised, and made the polish last as long as possible.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading I hope you enjoyed! I had so much fun writing it!!  
> I apologize if there were any errors, I wrote it all out excitedly then posted in the same sitting, I was just too happy with it  
> Please leave any requests at all for more twdg fics!! I'm in a big writing mood atm and I'll do my best to write it!


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